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Liverpool's unbeaten run in the Premier League came to a halt after the title challengers Manchester City beat them 2-1 in a entertaining affair, leaving the title race wide open. Jurgen Klopp will look for a swift response from his side and try to keep their lead at the top.
Here are the five reasons why Liverpool are still likely to win the EPL this season, with that loss against City being just a minor blip:
1) The ability to win
Consistency, grit and determination are not words you often associate with a Liverpool team, as evident from their performances in the past few years. But 17 wins from 21 match in the Premier League this season so far certainly highlights the consistency of the current team.
Even though they lost to Manchester City last week, the consistency in their performance was evident.
Liverpool have beaten every team outside of the "top 6" this season, which is certainly a new and refreshing stat for the fans to hear. The newfound ability of the team to win every match they should be winning is proof that this Liverpool team does not succumb to the pressure to win the way it did in the past.
Coming from behind to win at Burnley or comprehensively beating Bournemouth, this Liverpool teams seems to know it all.
2) Four-point lead
It's no secret that everyone (fans and pundits alike) expected Liverpool to be the closest challengers to Manchester City this season in the Premier League. But no one expected Manchester City to slip up the way they did against teams like Crystal Palace, Leicester and to some extent Chelsea.
As a result, Liverpool have been handed a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League. But take nothing away from Liverpool; they were brilliant in December, winning all of their Premier League games.
Although a major chunk of the season is still to be played, the lead at the top can prove to be crucial come the end of May.
3) New signings settling in the team
On paper, Liverpool had a stellar transfer window and their investments have certainly given them the depth in the squad that they had been looking for. Players like Xherdan Shaqiri , Fabinho and Alisson have already become an integral part of the squad with their solid performances.
In December, Alisson made that world-class save against Napoli, Shaqiri scored two match-winning goals against Manchester United, and Fabinho bossed the midfield with consistent performances in the middle of the park against the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal.
Naby Keita is the only player yet to consistently feature in the team, but he has already shown flashes of brilliance against Burnley and Bournemouth. Injuries have slightly hampered his Liverpool career so far, but the signs are good.
All in all, the new signings can really come to their own in this testing period and drive Liverpool's title challenge.
4) Alisson Becker and Virgil Van Dijk
For a brief period of time, Liverpool had the world's most expensive defender and the world's most expensive goalkeeper at the same time in Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson Becker. This highlights the focus of Jurgen Klopp to make Liverpool more balanced as a team.
As a result of the brilliance of the defensive pair, Liverpool have only conceded 10 goals in the Premier League this season in 21 games, keeping 12 clean sheets. That is something extraordinarily heartening to witness if you are a Liverpool fan.
The duo have also contributed to the attacking build-ups of the team, with Alisson quick to release counter attacks from the goal line. Meanwhile, Van Dijk is always a threat in set piece situations and with his forward passing ability.
The pair have also provided a certain calmness to the team from the back, which has been missing since the 2013-14 season. Having such quality at the back is always good for a title challenge.
5) The world-class attack
Much was made at the start of the season about the Liverpool's attack and the fact that they were not playing with the same flair and ruthlessness. But Mohamed Salah, Firmino and Sadio Mane have scored 12 of the last 22 goals that Liverpool have scored in the month of December, silencing the doubters.
If these three can keep their form up, Manchester City will have some catching up to do come the end of May.
